In a matter of less than an hour after the free agency window opened up, it was official that Blue Jackets' defensemen (or, former defensemen) Jack Johnson and Ian Cole would be heading to Pittsburgh and Colorado for next season.

These two loses made an even greater dent in the somewhat top-heavy blue line that the Jackets held in the 2017-2018 season, making the move to sign Cross even more important.

Cross was drafted to the Bruins organization in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and has been with the club since. He played with the USHL Ohio Junior Blue Jackets in 2007-2008 before being drafted.

The Hartford, Connecticut native has played mainly minors for most of his career with the AHL Providence Bruins, with his most recent NHL stint playing for the Boston in the 2016 NHL playoffs, where he recorded one assist in three games.

At the end of the day, Cross will likely be a valuable asset to the Cleveland Monsters, with potential that he will get some third-line ice time for the Jackets as next season progresses.